Andile Yenana-Way Out Is In

After a 20-year hiatus, South African jazz master Andile Yenana returns with “WAY OUT IS IN” — a deeply reflective album recorded live at The Bird’s Eye Jazz Club in Basel, Switzerland, in June 2018. Over three days of live and private sessions, he shaped the recordings into a sound that feels both intimate and expansive.

Created in collaboration with Norwegian musicians, the project continues a cross-cultural exchange that began in Yenana’s twenties through a musical partnership with his mentor, Zim Ngqawana. The album embodies years of exploration — cultural, personal, and musical — inviting listeners to journey into new and familiar territories in search of resonance.

Yenana (born 10 June 1968, King William’s Town) is a celebrated South African jazz pianist, composer, producer, and educator. A graduate of the University of Natal under Darius Brubeck, he fuses Xhosa folk roots with contemporary jazz expression. He began his career with Zim Ngqawana’s quartet, co-founded the ensemble Voice, and has collaborated with Sibongile Khumalo, Gloria Bosman, and Winston Mankunku Ngozi. His acclaimed albums We Used to Dance (2002) and Who’s Got the Map? (2005) earned him the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Jazz.

“WAY OUT IS IN” will be released on 24 October 2025 across all digital platforms.

Each ticket includes a two-course meal and an evening where sound, flavour, and culture intertwine — a feast for both the senses and the soul.